Coping or Denial?
by Dorkohontas
Summary: Dib's world has always been a spiraling downfall and Zim's has been a militarized mess. When an outbreak of a horrifying disease spreads across Irk and Zim is blasted to an unknown planet how will it change Zim and Dib's lives? When the disease gets to the humans. How will it change Earth's existence? I'm bad at summaries, it's a zombie/apocalyptic fanfic. ZADF/R, ZAGF


**First time writing these characters and being serious, so please review so that I know what to fix and keep.**

There were muffled screams and gasps. I only had so much time to run into the room. I didn't know what was going on inside and that didn't prepare me to meet what was on the other side of the door as I headed towards it. It was a simple office room and there wasn't ever a problem with it before. Just a few workers were stationed there hovering over their computers and sometimes talking together while resting their elbows on a big desk in the middle of the room. The crashing and loud thudding made me hesitate outside the door for just a second. Any longer then that second and I would call myself a coward. Swallowing down the fear I smashed my hand against the scanner and the door swung open.

Everything within me stopped moving. My thoughts stalled being consumed by the fear. The fear of what? I had no clue what was happening. What to do. Why there was so much blood. Why there was so much death. While I was standing in shock my fingers gripped tightly to the gun I was holding and I pulled the trigger, shooting one of my own kind. The same being as me. The same being that was eating my fellow peers.

I was not allowed to gawk at the dead Irken for too long. There were still more of them in the room. I looked to the right and just then the smell of decay and blood got me. My legs quivered as I shot at a female who was about to bite the arm of an Irken trying to push her off of him. Her body went slack against him as the bullet easily shred through her PAK.

I was about to point my gun at the next target when they slumped down to the ground and a female Irken cursed loudly continuing to smash the dead being in the head with her foot. I ran over to her trying to calm her down.

This was a bad idea. She grabbed me around my throat and started shaking me. Her talons where sharp and were coming close to breaking my skin. Luckily the male I saved earlier pushed her down and yelled at her. She calmed down as I rubbed my neck.

I wondered how things got this way

And when would it end.

On the outskirts of a big city, about six months away from our poor alien, a boy the age of seventeen was asleep in his bed. A loud screeching ring rudely interrupted his dreams, snatching him from the wonderful thoughts and ripping his eyes open to reality. He groaned, blind without his glasses, pulling the covers over his head uselessly trying to muffle the sound. When it wouldn't cease he turned to his nightstand and smashed the alarm with his fist. The teen flung the blue blanket off of his body letting the cold air touch his skin. "Fuuuuuuuuu." He moaned. It was Friday. The foreplay day, he liked to call it. The one day before the weekend. Couldn't he just stay home? No.

A loud banging on the door startled him enough to make the boy sprawl off the bed. "Dib! Get your lazy butt out of that bed or I will come in there and kick it!" A female yelled loud enough to clearly be heard through the door. "G-gaz. I'm already awake! I'll be out in a second! I have one alarm clock and I don't need another!" Dib ventured to yell back at his little sister. Littler or not she was scarier than anything he ever met. Dib picked himself off of the ground and onto his feet. The boy threw his hands above his head and stretched letting a yawn pass through his mouth.

He turned to his nightstand and picked up his 'Harry Potter' circle glasses then unfolded them placing them on his face. With one more stretch and a short yawn he stumbled to his door.

He went to the bathroom and closed the door. He hoped that Gaz already used the restroom or she would just have to go downstairs.

There are only four bathrooms in the house. There are two upstairs and two downstairs. Although there is two upstairs one is off limits or only in the kid's heads. One of the bathrooms is a master bathroom owned by their dad. Even though their dad only comes home once a year, Dib wouldn't be caught dead in his father's bathroom let alone bedroom. Especially not since his mom died.

That's when things got distant with him and his dad. Dib always liked his mom. He was as you can say a mama's boy. His mom stood with him and supported him through his life. She is even partially to blame with his current obsessions. Hobbies… Not obsessions hobbies. Okay yeah obsessions whatever…

You could say Dib got lost in his own world after his mom died. It's his way of coping. If his dad can leave his kids home alone for long periods of time and distract himself with his work and Gaz could distract herself with her video games than Dib can go out late into the night and distract himself with his… hobbies. Yeah, that's right hobbies.

His hobbies really started to get out of control when she passed away nine years ago. It all started with him denying her death and searching for her in some other form… He wanted to contact her to thank her for being what she was… a great, strong, and compassionate mother. She was always there to comfort him. Back then the teasing didn't sting, because he had at least one person who believed him. Back then his father smiled… his voice was real and not a hollow speaker from the floating flat screen TVs he invented to keep an eye on his children while he was away. Gaz wasn't so angry and violent as she is now. His world was perfect and complete! Then everything had to fall through the roof.

For a long time now Dib had to keep searching for his mom and raise himself in a world seemingly built just to spite him. He didn't like his lack of friends and moral support. He didn't like his dad calling him crazy and insane. He didn't like his father's pity. He didn't like his sisters anger. He didn't like… who cares? This world was out to get him and that was just too bad.

Dib stared at himself in the mirror he couldn't wait to see a change in scenery. Lucky for him college wouldn't be too much of a hassle to get through. That was the next step in his life, to graduate and go to college. Though he wasn't sure STILL what he would want to do with his life. He could do what he loves… but it wasn't really a steady paying job and he was sure his dad would disown him if he went on that path. So, obsession or not paranormal investigation would have to be a continuing 'hobby'…

Dib sighed before brushing his teeth and going through his morning business. When he rushed downstairs to grab his breakfast he noticed a small note on the counter. He didn't even bother to pick it up.

"Gaz what is that?" He raised his voice so that she couldn't ignore him as she sat on a stool next to the island in the kitchen.

"It's a note for you, so that I don't have to talk to you, but I see that didn't work. Why don't you read it? The sound of your voice in the morning is irritating." She growled her eyes never leaving the Game Slave 3 in her hands.

"Okay whatever… " He walked back to note muttering I don't like the sound of your attitude in the morning. The note read that he needed to pick up some groceries and duct tape?

"What do you need duct tape for?" He stared at her a little confused.

"…Read the backside you dolt!" She still never gave him eye contact.

Dib glared at her before turning it over. The note then went on to say that the duct tape was for some school project. He nodded his head before sticking the note in his pants pocket. He wasn't feeling all too hungry this morning. He grabbed a granola bar out of the pantry and walked out of the kitchen into the foyer.

"Come on Gaz grab your stuff we are leaving now." Dib seemed to have an automated way of saying this as he packed the food bar into his backpack and opened the door. Gaz grabbed her bag and nonchalantly walked over to him. They walked to school together in almost complete silence if it wasn't for the noises coming from Gaz's game. She grunted every now and then when the game would seem to get harder.

Walking to school was what the boy and his sister have always done together. When their mom was alive she would walk with them. They have always had a car, but walking was much more productive and healthy. Though Dib was old enough to drive them to school, he didn't want to break such a tradition.

Dib looked at the approaching buildings. There was the Middel and Hi-Skools in all their misspelled glory. Dib felt himself scanning the perimeters for any bullies or unfriendly teachers.

He hated this place. He really did.

He sighed as he spotted a huge mass of muscle called Torque. Dib kept an eye on the jock as he walked over to the middle school to drop off his sister and maybe stay a little. They got to the front of the school and Gaz finally looked up from her game.

"Dib. What are you doing here still?" She asked in a not at all too concerned tone. He looked at her and smirked.

"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?" He would punch her playfully on the shoulder, but she would break his arm if he did so…

She glared at him and muttered, "No, I just want you to go away." She was starting to get a little annoyed. Dib just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Dad said I have to make sure you make it to school safely, so I'm just doing that. You're his favorite, so nothing can happen to you…" The black haired boy kicked a rock against the school building. He hated the fact that it was obvious his dad liked Gaz more.

"Hey, I am here! Safe at my departure! Dib, I'm not scaring away your bullies for you! You need to use that big head of yours to think your way out of those kinds of situations if you're such a pacifist! If you can't escape fight! We both know you know how too!" Gaz sighed after her little rant and started up her game again. Dib never got into fights with the people he really needed to be fighting. "Go make some friends and keep me out of your life!" Gaz growled as she headed inside the building.

Dib watched her go. There was no use in further arguing with the smaller one. She chewed him out and left. Dib wanted to scream, but instead he walked to the back entrance of his school. No one was around there to bother with.

He turned into the alleyway to the unused fire escape of the school. It was so empty in that part of the school not even the janitors bothered locking it up. It was easy accesses into a safer part of the school. Dib threw himself in beside a dumpster and a wall when he heard a yelp of pain. He heard that voice before…. "Come on Jew-fro just tell me the truth and I won't hurt you as much!" Oh yeah he heard _that _voice before also.

"I have no clue what you're referring to, buddy." The higher pitched voice piped in. The person who owned it sounded like they have not yet received puberty… it was Keef, a red curly haired kid in his English class. That kid was uber friendly and although his taste in graphic tees disturbed Dib, he was a rather welcoming person. One of the extremely few who didn't pick on Dib. In fact this kid once told the raven haired boy that they were friends. He was nice, what was Torque doing to him?

"I saw you staring at that weirdo during lunch! What are you queer?" Torque's voice sounded like a raging eagle in a blender with a ravenous Tasmanian devil. Dib gritted his teeth. Picking on the weak for obvious mannerism started to become a new hobby of Torque's. Keef wore rainbow shirts; he was a rather flamboyant one. No need to get mad with someone for reasons that don't affect anyone! Although Dib liked doing what was right he wouldn't want to get into a direct altercation with the bigger jock. He looked around for a distraction… that wouldn't be himself…. Just as Dib found a nice sized stone Keef spoke.

"Who? Dib? So what, we are buddies? No need to get super worked up." Dib could hear the red head's voice quiver. "I mean he just looks really lonely all by himself and I want to help him out!"

Torque chuckled and he could hear the soles of shoes slid against the concrete. "Oh and how would you help him? What are you going to do fag be his boyfriend?" Torque's heavy footsteps thudded against the ground and Dib could hear him getting farther into the alley. Then he heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh. A shiver ran down his spine as Dib turned to see what was happening. He saw Keef blocking Torque's fist with his forearms and Dib threw the rock at Torque's head. Although the connection was made, Dib never felt as panicked as Toque turned around furious.

When Dib and Keef's eyes met he felt that he could get beat up for the sake of the smaller boy. Torque charged at Dib with a thunderous battle cry. The raven haired boy looked around and once noticing that there was no way around the other boy he turned around and fled. Torque was way too fast for a person of his size. Though Dib can usually outrun the bigger boy, Torque had some unearthly energy today. He grabbed Dib by his scythe like cowlick and threw him to the ground.

Not more than a second flashed by as the other boy catapulted his leg into Dib's stomach. Dib felt the air leave his body as he gasped for oxygen. He opened his mouth to yell, but nothing came out or in as Torque kicked him again in his groin.

Torque squat down, right on Dib's chest, nearly crushing the poor boy before raising his fist and laughing. The flinch from the breathless boy must have been more amusing than beating the crud out of him. The hulky monster of a teen rose off of Dib and wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh dude, if you could see your face!" He barked out more unsettling laughter before becoming angry again. "That should teach you for trying to be someone's prince charming. Dib you're a crazy homo and no matter what you do no one's going to be into you!" Torque spit on the ground next to Dib's face. With a kick of dirt into the raven haired boy's amber eyes he left.

Dib rolled away from the saliva and hyperventilated before breaking out into tears. He lay on the ground for what seemed like years crying and hyperventilating. Fear and hate washed over the boy quickly until mixing into a vile feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"Oh my God!" He didn't even hear footsteps as a panic attack kicked in. Dib flinched violently when he felt warm hands slide down his side before someone picked up his upper body and held him close.

Dib was dazed and confused. Someone was touching him and more confusing than that they were showing him kindness? It must have been a trap!

He squirmed out of their grasp and glanced at the person. He would have sprinted away if he was in better shape, but… he seen most of them before. He recognized Keef and Zita, but one of them he never seen before…

He stared in shock at them. He didn't feel like talking, so he just squeaked as an unfamiliar girl stepped forward. She seemed like she didn't belong in the group. Though she had big blocky rectangular glasses she seemed well groomed and confident. A comforting smile spread across her face as she noticed him slightly relax. "It's okay, kid you're safe now…" She whispered as she slowly raised her hand to smooth his hair. She was touching him very steadily and gently as if he was some type of frightened animal. He soon started to melt into her touch, then all the sudden it stopped.

He looked at her bewildered as he saw her dark brown eyes ignite with some sort of fire. She turned and clenched her fists. "Are you kidding me?! This is the way people act here?! Are there no rules! This kid got beat the shit out of and the fucking school doesn't know shit like this goes down? I ought to kick that fucking douche canoe's head in!" She turned to Dib. He never saw someone get that livid before. "This ends here! I don't care what they say in psychiatry, I'm going to make this guy pay." Her bangles created a ruckus with every shake of her fist.

Keef stepped up and tried to calm her down. She shushed him before rushing off towards Torque. Dib panicked, she was going to get in trouble or worse beat up! He followed her with the rest of the group trailing behind him. She was fast to get into ear distance of Torque. When she opened her mouth she yelled out at such a high volume she didn't need to use her energy to get near him.

"Hey fuck munch!" followed by a "Yeah, you bald monkey shit!" when Torque looked confused and turned around. He squared up his shoulders as he stomped near her. Dib panicked and looked at Keef.

"Rae calm down!" Keef ran up to her also terrified. She grabbed his shoulders and gave him a look that made him shrink away. By then Torque was near her. "Who do you think you're talking to like that bi-" The beefy male couldn't even finish his sentence as Rae grabbed his head and slammed his teeth against each other with her knee. He shrieked in pain and one of his canines fell out.

He turned to run, but she kicked the back of his knee causing him to fall to the ground. With her right hand she grabbed the hem of his shirt and brought his face up to hers. "You know I would feel even worse if I didn't know what you must've done to anyone different than you! This never happened and you fell from trying to hop a fence. If I find out that you're a snitch too, I'll give you something real to cry about." She grabbed his arms and hefted him up. "Come on big guy let's get you to the office." She walked with Torque towards the school.

Dib never in his life would have thought someone like her actually existed. Was she crazy or balancing out both a good and bad cop role? He had no clue what happened or what was going to happen all he knew was that he felt like complete garbage and couldn't help, but throw up the inside of his stomach.

Keef rubbed his back while he spewed his guts out. The whole time The red head kept apologizing. It started to get annoying after the thirty fifth time.

"Keef it's not your fault…" Dib sputtered after picking himself up.

"Y-yeah it is. Friends don't get each other beat up.. You should have let me take the fall!" Keef had tears rolling down his face. He grabbed Dib's shoulders and leaned his head on him.

"Man, Keef you're really over emotional right now… I wasn't about to let that dude beat you up for no real reason. It's one thing to get picked on; it's another to get beat up for assumptions that aren't true." Dib patted Keef's back in reassurance. He really felt overwhelmed.

"But Dib… You… I… I have to tell you something… What Torque was saying wasn't all wrong… I-I am gay and well…" Keef took a few steps back and crossed his arms awkwardly. He looked ashamed and scared. Dib pitied the smaller boy. That and he didn't care if he was gay. So what? It was kind of obvious from the get go.

"And? Just be yourself, Keef. No one has the right to judge you. No one." Dib hoped the conversation would end soon he felt horrid.

"Yeah, you're right… Thanks Dib… You're really cool you know that? Like really cool. A little too cool for me…" Keef stood tall again and looked at Dib in admiration. Dib still felt sick. Does Keef do drugs? Dib was the most uncool kid in the whole school district. He was an out casted geek.

"No, I'm not... I'm a loser." Dib looked at the ground. He didn't feel comfortable at all.

"Nope, Dib! You're not a loser! You are intelligent, heroic, determined, and handsome!" Keef lit up bright red and quickly changed the subject. "How are you feeling? If you are still feeling really bad I can tell the office you're sick… It's the least I can do for you buddy." Keef nodded his head and the two other kids that were with him looked at each other knowingly.

"Thanks." Dib turned and left he was starting to get a headache. He didn't even want to acknowledge the fact that Keef might be crushing on him. That… that was a little weird.

He walked home and texted Gaz to be safe while she walked home alone for the first time in years.


End file.
